New Phase For Peninsula Hotel That Held Cruise Passengers

A 120-room hotel in San Carlos is getting a deep clean after the quarantined passengers from the Grand Princes cruise ship departed and for unclear reasons, the property is still receiving round-the-clock security from U.S. Marshalls.

The Fairfield Inn remained surrounded by fencing and security officers Sunday afternoon, when cleaners in protective white suits could be seen decontaminating the property.

The cleaning was being done in preparation for the possibility that the site would host other groups of quarantined people or other uses related to the coronavirus outbreak.

San Carlos Mayor Ron Collins said the city faced complaints about using the property to support the coronavirus response, but that those comments generally came from people outside of San Carlos.

“Most of the feedback we got was very supportive. People thought that it was the right thing to do. They thought it was the compassionate thing to do,” said Collins, “we’re still getting supportive comments.”

As the clean-up work continues, no one has said why the security team remained visible on the premises.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, many cities are taking similar steps to utilize spaces to handle potential coronavirus response needs. In San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, officials are leasing hundreds of hotel rooms for the homeless. Santa Clara has added some state-owned trailers and is hoping for state reimbursement, while the state is hoping for federal reimbursement.